Gas-cleaning means



Feb, 22, 1949. C, C, WHITTAKER 2,4625797 GAS-CLEANING MEANS Filed July 2o, 1946 2 sheets-sheet 1 WITNESSES: 8 INVENTOR Feb. 22, 1949. c. c. wHlTTAKER GAS-CLEANING MEANS Filed July 20,' 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 K mw Mn T 17. N m# V mW. m c. f wm. ./f M C WlTNESSE-SI Patented Feb. 22, 1949 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE GAS-CLEANING MEANS Application lluly 20, 1946, Serial No. 685,009

(Cl. 18S-36) 2 Claims. l

My invention relates broadly to means for removing foreign particulate matter from air or other gas by first causing the gas to Whirl at sufficiently high velocities to force the particulate matter outwardly in the whirling gas, and then separating a particle-laden outer layer from the rest of the gas. More specifically, my invention relates to that type of gas-cleaning means which comprises two concentric tubes forming a gaspassage therebetween in which the gas moves in the general axial direction while whirling about the inner tube.

It is an object of my invention to provide an efficient, compact, rugged and simple gas-cleaning means of the character described which will yield exceptionally good gas-cleaning with tubes of comparatively short axial length, the gas cleaning means including improved limited-size means for directing the clean gas to points of utilization for the gas, so that the gas-cleaning means can be installed in places where only limited space is available, such as, for example, a locomotive.

A further feature of my invention resides in providing gas-cleaning means of the type described in which the entering gas need not be in a direction conducive to producing a whirl in the gas passage. A whirl is positively and forcibly established by means of a propeller at the entrance end of the gas-cleaning means. In the preferred embodiment, this propeller also forces e.

the gas through the gas-cleaning equipment. Suitable stationary vanes may be provided immediately below the rotating propeller to give the gas leaving the propeller a more pronounced whirl. Consequently, the gas is caused to reach a high velocity whirl very shortly after it has entered the gas-cleaning means so that particulate matter in the gas is quickly and effectively driven to the outside portion of the gas stream in a gas-passage of comparatively short length.

By quickly imparting a high rotational movement to the gas-now as it enters one end of the gas-cleaning equipment and moving the gas forcibly, it can be withdrawn from the opposite end of the gas-cleaning means, without passing the gas in a reverse direction through the inner tube. Improved means are provided for reducing the whirl of the cleaned gas taken from this opposite end of the equipment, and straightening out the flow of the gas so that the gas can be conveniently directed into a straight distributing duct.

Objects, features, innovations and combinations of my invention, in addition to the foregoing, will be discernible from the following description of the important features of a preferred form thereof. This description is to be taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a vertical sectional View of apparatus embodying the teachings of my invention;

Fig, 2 is a horizontal sectional View substantially on the lineII-II of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view substantially along the line III-III of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, gas-cleaning equipment in accordance with my invention comprises an inner member and an outer member providing spaced facing wall-surfaces. These wall-members are indicated in their entirety by the reference numerals 2 and d, respectively. The wallmernbers are radially spaced, or nested, in order to provide an elongated gas-passage which is generally annular in cross-section. In the preferred embodiment the Wall-members are generally circular in transverse cross-section, and are vertically arranged over a base plate or oor 8, with their axes substantially perpendicular to the floor.

The inner wall-member 2 comprises a stationary vertical cylindrical tube or tubular member I0 comprising a long lower tube-section l2 and a short upper tube-section M. A rotatable hub is immediately above the upper tube-section I4, and comprises a short cylindrical tube-section I6 and a rounded cap i8 which, in effect, constitutes aclosure for the upper end of the tube l0. The tube il) rests on the floor 8, thereby closing the lower end of the tube.

The outer wall-member 4 comprises a cylindrical tube-section 2Q, an elongated slightly upwardly tapered section 22 extending downwardly from the tube-section 2t, and a sharply flared throat tube-section 2li extending upwardly'from the top of the tube-section 20. The tube-section 2li is about and substantially coextensive with the upper tube-sections Hi and l5 of the inner wallmember 2.

Although each of the different tube-sections 2li, 22 and 24 of the wall-member 4 and each of the tube-sections l2, I4 and l5 of the wall-member 2 may be said to comprise a tube or tubular member for the equipment, for convenience and limited to the following description of the apparatus, combinations of two or more of the tubesections of each group are also referred to as a tube or tubular member. Accordingly, the apparatus has an inner tube and an outer tube, the tubes being coaxial. The circular bottom edge B of the outer tube is considerably above the door 8.v At the upper end of the concentric tubes,

the flared throat tube-section 2 and the cap i8 form an annular inlet or entrance 28 for the gaspassage 6.

The rotatable member lli of the hub at the top of the inner tube IG, is also part of a propeller 36 having a plurality of air-foil blades 32 circumferentially spaced in the gas-passage at the entrance il of `the gas-passage. The ,propeller fili is of the axial-flow type, with the blades arranged and shaped to force the gas in the gaspassage S to flow, in eiect, generally axially downward but around the inner tube lll. To fthisend the blades 32 are at an angle to the plane of rotation of the propeller. The whirl about :the tube l is increased by stationary air-foil deflector vanes or blades .te Xed tothe section M of the tube lll and extending substantially across the gas-passage 6, near the propeller 39 on the downstream side thereof. The blades cause the iiowing gas to make a greater number of turns around the inner 'tube .lil While 'the :gas is travelling -'lengthv.fise, or ``axially, along the `gaspassage "6 from 'the entrance 23 :to a point near the bottom edge 26 of the tapered section 12-2 of the outer tube. The lblades Se are also at an angle with `respect to -'a"`horizontal plane. The angles oi vthe different 'blades 32 and Si are not critical, and a wide 'range 'will 'produce results. EAbout1335" to the horizontal, 'but in opposite directions, has given satisfactoryoperation.

The propeller 'Se :is driven by any suitable lpower-supplying means, which in the preferred embodiment comprises van electricmotor et. These are Athe only `constantly moving :parts of the fgascleaning equipment described. `Since the inner tube fl!) is `conl-pletely closed against vgas-ilow through it, the propeller-driving Ymotor fili) can be advantageously and conveniently 'supported inside t'he tube, being carried 'one brackets d2 secured -to fthe upper 'tube-'section Ill of the tube.

The propeller el), its driving motor and the blades 34 'comprisea draft-'inducing means which forces the fgas through the gas-passage by imparting motion `to the 'gas in a manner 'illustrated 'by the arrows A and B which represent the approximate vdirection of the V'flow of-gas leaving the blades 32 and blades 1313, respectively. However, my finvention'is not limited to 'the particulardrait-inducing means described; and :my application {Seria} No. T685g0i0 'iled concurrently herewith describes a further gas-'cleaning means which vcan be 'said to be related, -in a sense, to that of the instant application.

-As the `-gas moves downwardly while whirling around fthe inner Ytube lil, particulate matter in the gas `is driven outwardly toward 'the tube-sectioni22 Iso that, `after a short time, an outer 'portion of the flowing gas is considerably heavier laden with zparticulate matter than a relatively inner portion. If an outermost Alayer of the gas is Yseparated out of the gase'ow, `the remaining gas is comparatively clean and can beutilized for 'such purposes as ventilation -of electrical equipment on locomotives or any other suitable purpose.

In :order `to skim loi an outer Vportion of the dirt-carrying gas, a vertical cylindrical skimmer or partition wall F4 is lprovi-ded having an upper portion which is inwardly radially spaced from, and overlaps, the lower end of the tapered tubesection 22 of the outer `tube so as to form an outer rparticle- -or dirt-receiving kpassage it into which the Youter Vlayer of gas, carrying the most dirtyilows. Specically, the'wall 'M has an upper circular edge BB which is slightly upstream of the bottom edge 26 of the tapered tube-section 2L. The wall iii extends downwardly below the edge 2e to a horizontal wall 5i? which is above the floor 8 and has an opening for receiving the wall elli.

The outside of the wall M, the horizontal wall 5e and o-uter walls e2 and 5d form an annularlikecompartment or duct "5e for the skimmed-ofi The bottom of the wall 52 is provided with a plurality of openings e8 through which the dirtladen gas in the duct 5S discharges to the atmosphere about the gas-cleaning equipment, the skimmed-oit gas acting as a scavenger gas for .carrying the dirt out of the compartment 5. A sloping deiiector Se may be provided in the compartment et "for more effective removal of the dirt.

The space between the wall itl and the lower tube-section l2 of the inner tube le provides an annular gas-passage or conduit e2 iorrcleaned lthe gas-passage ve2 being, in effect, an eX- tensi'on lof the gas-passage ii. A plurality-of circum-ferentiallyspaced curved vanes lid are Xed inthe gas-passage S2 for removing the `whirl vlof the Vcleaned Vgas and directing the gas substantially straight downward into -a vcompartment 5e which is below the wall @il andthe dirt-receiving duct ed. The'compartment 65 is'pr'ovided with a plurality of dieren't sets of curved vanos about the bottom portion of the'tube-section 'l2 of the inner tube Afor .deflecting the Agas into an outlet duct 68 from which a supply of `cleaned gas may be taken for use Wherever desired. The aioresaid'sets of vanes comprise a set of vanes le which acts on the gas from the half of 'the gaspassage `i2 which is nearest the outlet duct 5S, and-deflects suchgas directly longitudinally into atcentr-al duct-part 'l2 of outlet duct 58, andoppositely Vdirected sets oi vanes 'lli which act on the other half of vthe cleaned gaadeilecting such gas horizontally outwardly in both directions toward sets of varies le `which are curved for deiiecting the gas longitudinally into the outlet duct 5S ori-both sides of Ithe-'duct-part l2. Consequently, the motion of the cleaned gas is changed from the downwardly whirling motion in the gas-passage 6 to substantially rectilinear motion in the outlet duct $8.

From the foregoing', it is apparent that I have provided a gas-"cleaning-means of the cyclone type through which the gas need move in a single longitudinal direction only. Ii desired, the gaspassage 62 can be extended beyond the vanos Sie, Yandclaaned gas taken directly from the extended partof the gas-passage, because the vanes straighten the gas-flow. c

The propeller 3e supplies sufficient drive to force the gas through 'the gas-cleaning means, but the draft may, if desired, be augmented by a suction in the outlet duct .68.

While I have described my invention with reference 'to a particular embodiment, it should be obvious that the teachings of my invention has broader scope and can form vthe basis of other embodiments; and that 'even the particular embodiment ldescribed can be widely modified without departing from the scope of my invention.

claim as my invention:

1. A gas-cleaning means comprising, in combination, upstanding nested walls formingv a gaspasage having a gas inlet at one end, said nested walls comprising an inner tubular member and an outer tubular member bounding said gaspassage; draft-inducing means comprising vanes and 'a propeller'ior establishing a draft vthrough said gas-passage with the gas whirling about said inner tubular member; a gas-divider intermediate upstanding tubular wall inside of but spaced from an end of said outer tubular member; a horizontal wall having an opening receiving said intermediate wall end extending outwardly therefrom; additional walls cooperating with said horizont'al wall, said intermediate wall, and said end of said outer tubular member for providing a dirtreceiving duct; a second horizontal wall below the said rst horizontal wall; said inner tubular member extending downwardly to said second horizontal wall; said first and said second horizontal walls cooperating with further walls to form an outlet duct extending outwardly from said intermediate wall and said inner tubular member; Vanes between said inner tubular member and said intermediate wall for reducing the whirl of gas flowing therebetween; and Vane means and divider-wall means in the space between said rst and said second horizontal walls for directing gas leaving said vanes longitudinally into said outlet duct.

2. In gas-cleaning apparatus of a type described, in combination, a pair of upstanding spaced inner and outer members providing a gaspassage therebetween, the inner member having a lower wall-portion extending below the outer member; curved whirl-reducing vanes in the space directly between said spaced members; walls, in-

cluding horizontal walls, forming an outwardlydirected duct below said outer member, said duct being wider than said outer member; said gaspassage opening into said duct; wall means inside said duct, cooperating with said lower wallportion, providing a distinct outwardly directed duct-section in said duct which is in communication with said gas-passage; deflecting vanes disposed in said duct-section and below said gaspassage so as to receive a portion of the gas leaving said whirl-reducing Vanes, said deecting vanes being curved to direct such gas rectilinearly into said duct-section; and additional deflector Vanes disposed in said duct below said gas-passage so as to receive another portion of the gas from said whirl-reducing vanes, said additional deflector vanes being curved to direct such gas rectilinearly in said duct along a side of said duct-section.

CHARLES C. WHITTAKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,933,380 Mock et a1. Oct. 31, 1933 2,144,631 Kurth Jan. 24, 1939 2,159,219 Madden May 23, 1939 2,206,995 Ashley Jan. 9, 1940 2,370,629 Appeldoorn Mar. 6, 1945 2,375,203 Appeldoorn May 8, 1945 

